Love equals You

Clara (Summer 2005)

"Why is he always hitting me Emma?" I asked my older sister, tears threatening to fall down my face, rubbing my arm to stop the throbbing where her horrible, bully of a boyfriend Danny had just hit me.

"He's just playing about Baby. Stop complaining will you for goodness sake? I'm not going to let you hang around with us anymore if you moan about every little thing". Her pretty face contorted into something sinister, a sight I hadn't seen before.

Ever since Emma had starting seeing Danny, I had felt a breaking of our sisterly bond. We had always been close. She was my protector, looking after me as all good big sisters do.
Now, for love or whatever you call it, she was allowing her stupid boyfriend to make fun of me and physically hurt me.

I looked at her in astonishment, the familiar long blonde hair cupping her heart shaped face, thinking how much of a stranger she was to me these days.
I shook my head, promising myself that love would never cause me to act the way she did, and if that what love was all about then I definitely didn't want it.
You can stick your arrows where the sun doesn't shine Cupid, I thought smugly, remembering a poem we had studied at school 'Cupid and Psyche'.

We were in Victoria Park in East London, sitting among the huge leafy trees, watching Danny mess about with his idiotic friends, who were all smoking and drinking.
Emma's face shone whenever Danny deigned to look her way, frowning again when his attention was stolen from her.
"It's getting late Baby, you should be getting home" Emma said to me, whilst staring at Danny. I was twelve and a half years old and Emma three years older, responsible for making sure I was home by half past eight.
"Aren't you taking me home?" I asked in shock, home was fifteen minutes away by bike. It would be near dark by the time I got home and the dark scared me.
"I can't".
Danny had come over, looking between my shocked face and Emma's adoring one.
"What's up with her?" He asked my sister insolently, tipping his head at me, causing his long hair to sway.
"Nothing Dan, she's going home". Emma turned to face me. That face again.
"Aren't you?"

"Wait until I tell daddy" I muttered to myself as I drove my small bike as fast as I could through the traffic of London.
I had left them both sitting on the grass without even saying goodbye, not that they had noticed. As soon as I was out of eyesight, I let the tears I had been holding in fall.
"How can she be so horrible?"
My face, red and puffy, must have looked all kinds of ugly as several people called out asking if I were ok.
I ignored them all, just wanting to be home as fast as I could.
The journey went quickly, my anger dying a little by the time I saw the unmistakable yellow bricks of my high rise home. In my anger I had forgotten to be scared.

I cycled up to my block of flats, Tokyo House, hearing a familiar voice calling out my name, my stomach fluttering weirdly. I turned towards the voice, and there he was, standing at the entrance to our flats, surrounded by his friends, Malcolm, John, Warren and Aaron. Their faces a sight for sore eyes.
"Ali" I shouted, dumping my bike and running up to the bestest friend I could ever have.
I hadn't seen him for three months, juvenile detention had seen to that.
I ran into his outstretched arms and held on for dear life, feeling all the anger and pain at Emma's abandonment abating.

He had changed. In a way that was disconcerting. Before he had left he had been fifteen, slender and smooth faced. Now he had black stubble around his lips, muscles that tore through his polo shirt and a look in his eyes that seemed threatening. He was now also sixteen, having spent his sixteenth birthday in Foxton Youth Offenders Institute.

"How's my little Baby?" He asked me happily after I let go of his waist, holding me at arm's length so he could take a look at me.
"Have they been taking care of you Baby?" He asked me, with a tilt of his head indicating his to friends.
They all smiled at me.
"Of course we have Ali" John answered seriously, "She's our Baby too".
I smiled feeling the love from each of the five.
Ali turned back to face me, his dark brown eyes glittering black in the late sunlight, his smile turning into a scowl.
I moved back from his embrace, scared at the look on his face.
"Have you been crying?" Ali asked me, gripping my arms tightly.
I nodded, still shaken.
"Has someone hurt you?" He shouted, causing me to flinch.
The boys behind us crept closer, looking around for a sign of threat.
His chiselled jaw flexed as he gritted his teeth.
"Tell me?" He demanded.

I told him everything, as fast as I could, about Danny, and how Emma had left me alone to get home on my own.

He looked at me avidly, taking in my story, still gripping my arms before he gently let me go, kissing my forehead softly.
My honey blonde hair was all over my face by now and I smoothed it down into place, feeling weirdly self conscious beneath his intent gaze.

"Go upstairs Baby, get inside before it gets dark, I've got some things to take care of".
I nodded, remembering by now my curfew was long past.
"I'll see you tomorrow ok, we have a lot of catching up to do". He said quietly so the others couldn't hear, to take the sting out of telling me to go home like the child I still was.

I really was tired, I thought to myself as I got into bed, I hadn't told our father James about Emma, maybe she's just on her period I decided, trying to excuse her behaviour, still loving my sister.

I awoke in the night, to shouts coming from our hallway, Emma must be home, I thought groggily.
"What's the matter love?" My mother Lucy asked Emma loudly in concern.

"Someone smashed all the windows in Danny's car when he dropped me home" a distraught Emma told my mother, her sobs audible from the lounge.
"I ran inside and left him there, I don't know what's happening now?" More sobs followed.
"Should I go and see if he's alright mama?"
"No love, you stay inside now, Danny can take care of himself, it's probably just kids".

I laid back into bed and didn't hear the rest of the conversation, not caring what happened to Danny, he deserved everything he got, nor my dad going downstairs to see if Danny was alright.
All I could think of was Ali and how happy I was he was back.

What do you think of Emma? Why do you think she lets Danny hurt her sister? Please comment, all are welcome. And maybe even vote if you like it so far.....
And who do you think smashed all the windows in Danny's car???